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SRAP Fact Sheet
(revised September 2016)
Program Overview
The Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) has created a State Rental
Assistance Program (SRAP) to serve individuals with developmental disabilities in the Settlement
Agreement population who want to live in their own housing. The program is designed to provide rental
assistance to single person families that meet the program eligibility criteria so they have the means to
lease private market rental housing that meets their needs. Individuals will have the opportunity to
choose where they live, with whom they live, and who supports them. Services and supports will be
provided through sources separate from their housing, including Medicaid Waiver-funded home and
community based services, natural supports, privately paid supports, and other community resources.
The following Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) have each entered into a Memorandum of Agreement
with DBHDS to administer the State Rental Assistance Program in the following areas:
• Chesapeake Redevelopment and Housing Authority – the City of Chesapeake
• Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority – Fairfax County, the Cities of Fairfax, and
the Towns of Clifton, Herndon and Vienna
• Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority – the City of Norfolk
• Virginia Beach Department of Housing & Neighborhood Preservation – the City of Virginia Beach
DBHDS Referral Process
Individuals that would like to access integrated, independent housing using the State Rental Assistance
Program (SRAP) must be referred by their Support Coordinator. Support Coordinators must complete
and submit the standard DBHDS Housing Assistance Referral Form. It is important to submit the most
current copy of the referral form. For the most current referral form, please click the following link:
http://www.dbhds.virginia.gov/professionals-and-service-providers/developmental-disability-services-
for-providers/community-support-services (Please be sure to click the housing tab)
Program Eligibility
Individuals selected from CHARS to apply for SRAP must meet ALL of the eligibility requirements below:
1. Be age 18 or older
2. Have a developmental disability as defined in the Code of Virginia
3. Be in one of the following categories:
a. transitioning from a skilled nursing facility, an intermediate care facility, a state training
center, a group home or other congregate setting and meet the level of functioning criteria
for a Developmental Services waiver)
b. receiving Building Independence (BI), Family and Individual Support (FIS) or Community
Living (CL) Waiver services
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c. determined eligible for and currently on a waitlist for the BI, FIS or CL Waiver
4. Meet the criteria for an eligible family:
a. The individual cannot live with parents, guardians, or grandparents.
b. If additional persons will reside with the individual, a stable family relationship must be
demonstrated by providing evidence that the individual and these persons lived together
previously or certifying that each person’s income and other resources will be available to
meet the needs of the family.
At this time, only individuals who currently reside in or have stated a preference to reside in the
following areas shall be referred for SRAP:
• The Cities of Chesapeake, Fairfax, Norfolk and Virginia Beach
• The County of Fairfax
• The Towns of Clifton, Herndon and Vienna
Of these individuals, referrals shall be prioritized according to the following categories:
• Priority #1: Individuals who live in congregate settings, including skilled nursing facilities,
intermediate care facilities, state training centers, and group homes
• Priority #2: Individuals who are either
a. Homeless, as evidenced by documentation from the support coordinator that the
individual has slept in a shelter, on the street, or in a place not meant for human
habitation for the last three nights, or at risk of homelessness, as evidenced by a Writ of
Possession for the individual’s current residence;
b. Paying more than 50% of their own gross monthly income toward their own rental
housing (based upon verification of income and current rent); OR
c. Experiencing an imminent threat to health and safety in their housing, as documented
by Adult Protective Services.
• Priority #3: Individuals who live with their families of origin
Referrals will be screened in priority order to verify they meet the program eligibility criteria 1-4
outlined above. In addition, check whether the individual is registered as a violent sexual offender in
Virginia Sex Offender Registry and conduct outreach to support coordinators to educate them about
SRAP mandatory reasons for denial of assistance. Assess how the individual wants to proceed with the
referral. Once verified, assign the next available SRAP slot for the appropriate geographic area.
The individual may request a live-in aide as a reasonable accommodation on the basis of disability. The
live-in aide is not a family member, but is a household member.
Be currently receiving no other source of local, state or federal rent assistance, subsidy or supplement,
whether tenant-based or project-based rent assistance.
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DBHDS will screen referrals for SRAP to verify they meet program eligibility criteria as listed above.
When a local PHA receives a referral from DBHDS, the PHA will conduct its own eligibility review for
SRAP.
PHA Intake, Screening and Eligibility
Once DBHDS has determined that the individual being referred has met the criteria listed in section 3,
DBHDS will forward the referral to the PHA of the “preferred locality”, as listed on the referral and based
on availability. The PHA will assess the applicant’s financial eligibility and verify whether the applicant
receives any other source of rent assistance. At the time of application and throughout their
participation in SRAP, families must have an adjusted annual income that is at or below fifty percent
(50%) of the Area Median Income (AMI) for the HUD Fair Market Rent Area in which the PHA is located.
Income redeterminations will be conducted once every three years, at least 120 days in advance of the
anniversary date of the initial income determination, for families whose income sources are limited to
one or a combination of the following: Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Social Security Disability
Insurance (SSDI) or Social Security Disabled Adult Child (SSDAC) payments. Income redeterminations for
families that receive earned income will be conducted once every year, at least 120 days in advance of
the anniversary date. Families must report in writing any changes in income, assets, expenses, and
household composition to the PHA. Applicants must report the changes within 48 hours. Participants
must report the changes within 10 calendar days.
The PHA will also complete their eligibility process to include a criminal background check. There are
criminal offenses that can affect an individual’s ability to participate in the SRAP. The PHA must
DENY/TERMINATE assistance for the following offenses:
• A household member is subject to a lifetime registration requirement under a state sex offender
registration program (there is no look back period and is therefore permanently ineligible.
• A household member is currently engaged in the use of illegal drugs (look back period for applicants:
twelve (12) months from the SRAP application date; look back period for participants: a rolling
twelve months).
• A household member has been evicted from assisted rental housing in the last three (3) years for
drug-related criminal activity (look back period for applicants: thirty-six (36) months from the SRAP
application date for the violation of laws prohibiting the production, sale, distribution, and/or use of
certain controlled substances and the equipment or devices utilized in their preparation and/or use).
